UK committee says dirty Russian money threatens security

The British Parliament’s foreign affairs committee has slammed the government for “turning a blind eye” to the role London’s financial centre plays in laundering the proceeds of Russian corruption, saying it helps the Kremlin finance its aggressive foreign policy.

The committee says in a report published on Monday that despite the tough rhetoric over the nerve agent attack on a former spy in Britain earlier this year, President Vladimir Putin’s allies were able to continue “business as usual” in the UK.

The committee says “the use of London as a base for the corrupt assets of Kremlin-connected individuals is now linked to a wider Russia strategy with implications for the UK’s national security.”

It adds that failing to act signals that “the UK is not serious about confronting the full spectrum of President Putin’s offensive measures.